2 backed by 'tea party' in lead

Group of 5 fiscal conservatives likely will fall short of goal

Five "tea party"-backed candidates tried to gather a political majority to push their conservative views on the board that delivers Colorado River water to three Arizona counties.

But only two were leading in early results.

Cynthia Moulton, a retired nurse and tea-party activist, along with tea-party-backed board incumbent Mark Lewis, a water-resources consultant, held an early advantage.

Others taking the lead include Frank Fairbanks, former Phoenix city manager, and two candidates with water-resource experience: Jim Holway and incumbent Tim Bray.

Three tea-party-supported candidates were trailing in early returns: John Rosado, a retired software engineer also active in tea-party politics; T.C. Bundy, a business consultant; and Raymond Johnson, an insurance broker.

The Central Arizona Water Conservation District Board manages the delivery system for water from the Colorado River, the state's largest single source of water. The board works with six other Colorado River states to secure future water resources amid concerns about growing demand, drought and the effects of climate change. The other states are California, Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado and Utah.

The board has 15 members with five open seats. The board members are apportioned among the three counties that receive water and pay property taxes, with 10 elected from Maricopa County, four from Pima and one from Pinal. Five of Maricopa County's seats will be filled in this election; other seats open every two years.

Historically, the water panel election is a non-partisan race and has been one of the state's least-ideological elected bodies. That changed in 2006 when a slate of four conservatives won seats on the board. The four worked to expose what they saw as wasteful and inefficient spending, but never had a majority to force significant changes.

Most of the tea-party-backed candidates lack experience in managing natural resources. They campaigned almost entirely on fiscal issues, arguing the district needs to cut costs, rein in spending and reduce the property taxes.

Voters had to choose among 14 candidates, and winners will serve six years. The board oversees an agency with a $248 million budget and a workforce of 475 people.

The board sets wholesale water prices paid by cities and farmers in Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties. It also sets a property tax to support water delivery from the Central Arizona Project canal. The cost of delivering water has risen, but the board has lowered property tax rates three times in the last 10 years.